Offline Collab

"Alright! Please continue with the broadcast!"

I raised my voice to steer the conversation away from the weird atmosphere that had settled over the room.

"Hey! You're the one who stopped it!"

"Huh?"

"Ah, then, Wooju."

"Yes?"

It seemed like the perfect moment, so I made my proposal to Minseo.

"Since the broadcast is already on pause, why not do the thing you mentioned earlier?"

It would be awkward to bring up later, so now—while everyone's attention was scattered—seemed like the right time.

"Huh?"

"You promised, remember."

"No!—"

"No?"

"Um... I mean... no..."

Ah, there she went scrunching up her face again.

Worried I'd ruined the mood, I glanced around at the others, but they were all just watching with amusement.

Well, that's a relief.

"Oh, it's nothing major. Wooju promised earlier that she'd do aegyo on stream."

Hmm, it was a voluntary promise made of Minseo's own free will. Naturally.

"Wooju, whenever you're ready."

"Uuu! Okay...!"

"Wow! Everyone, a round of applause!"

Everyone except Minseo sent up cheers and applause.

"I... uh...!"

"Better hurry. If you don't do it right now, I'll write your lines for you."

That should make her do it fast.

"R-Rose is the one I like the most!"

"Kyaa!"

"So cute!"

Hmm, the sight of her face flushing with shame as she squeezed out an adorable little squeak was quite memorable.

It also taught me a valuable lesson: never, ever do aegyo on my own stream.

"Well, I don't like you."

That said, that was that, and this was this.

"Hey! Take it back!"

"Ah."

Maybe the instant rejection hurt her feelings a bit too much.

"I said I didn't like your food, Rose. That's all."

"Hey! That's not how you make excuses!"

...Was it too obvious?

"Hmm... your aegyo was less impressive than I expected, honestly."

This time I gave her my genuine assessment.

"I suppose natural cuteness, like before, lands better than the manufactured kind."

Nature beats artifice every time. Mm-hmm.

I nodded sagely to myself at my own wisdom.

"Ahem!"

"Oh, but it's a little cute right now. That embarrassed expression."

"Hey! You can't say that with that face of yours—"

Huh?

"Unnie!"

"Hold on, wait a second!"

"Gah!"

"I guess... I have to do more aegyo...?"

Thankfully she let it slide, so I decided to file it away as a stream bit.

"Hey!"

"Alright!"

"KEKW! Dying of cuteness!"

The viewers seemed to be having fun too, which was good.

"Now, viewers, here's a little pro tip for you."

Am I allowed to say this?

"If you watch this while looking at a certain photo—one that everyone who should know already knows—it's even more fun."

For the record, Minseo's identity was already common knowledge across the community.

"Hey!"

"Hey hey! Rose! That is WAY too far!"

But still! The timing was simply too perfect to pass up! I had a legitimate excuse—it was revenge! And everyone who should know already knew!

SMACK!

"Ow!"

The impact against my back wrung a yelp out of me before I could stop it.

I turned my head to look at Minseo, who had just smacked me.

"Eek! Sorry!"

Ah, apparently I was scowling from the pain.

...I was the one who got hit, though. Why do I feel like the perpetrator here?

Ah, watching Minseo's reaction gave me another fun idea.

"Come here for a second."

"U-um. O-okay..."

Once she shuffled over, I slung an arm around her shoulder.

"Sorry about that, friend."

"Uh, yeah...?!"

Wow, she's actually playing along with the delinquent bit.

Deliberately acting scary to fish out a stream moment—is this the instinct of a former idol trainee?

"N-no! I'm the one who's sorry!"

...Wait, was she being sincere?

"Friend... you will do the aegyo... won't you...?"

"N-no, I... um...!"

"You won't do it for me?"

I put a nasal whine into my voice to nail the concept properly.

"Heh heh, it's fine, friend. Relax and speak freely."

Ooh, this is actually giving me chills.

"I... um...!"

She was genuinely flustered, twisting her gaze away again and again, refusing to look at my face.

Watching a delicate, fresh-faced beauty act like this somehow made me want to bully her even more.

Which led my thoughts down a certain path—and then, quite suddenly, a curiosity struck me.

What would happen if I made sudden physical contact?

"Eep!"

The arm draped over her shoulder slid down, brushing along her back, while my free hand seized hers.

Judging by her reaction, I'd made the right call in ignoring the counsel of the Confucian dragon inside me.

"Friend... you'll do it... won't you...?"

"I...! I...!"

"Friend! What's so hard about this that you have to think about it!"

"Come on~ one little aegyo and we let you go, remember?"

Yubin and Sua, apparently entertained, piled on too.

"Uuu..."

Minseo's face was crumpling, and I could see moisture welling up in her eyes.

"Ah."

We were so screwed.

"Unnie."

Releasing the grip I had on her, I pulled her into a hug instead.

"Sorry. I just like you too much, that's all."

"Oh...! Um...!"

"You okay?"

"Yeah..."

An endearment I never used, plus casual speech, plus physical affection, all at once.

My priority was calming her down, fast, and the words just came out on their own.

Apparently, for someone as tender-hearted as Minseo, an experience like that felt genuinely frightening.

"Alright! Then I'll take over as host from here!"

I changed the subject to break the tension.

"Last week we said we'd meet in person this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time and share our first impressions of each other, right? So let's start with our oldest unnie, Wooju!"

Starting with Minseo's first impression seemed like the fastest way to soothe her.

"Wow!"

"Whoa!"

"Let me go first, then! I was stunned by how fresh and pure she looked! I'd seen photos beforehand, but seeing her in person? Absolutely criminal!"

"R-really?"

"Yes! Wooju! You're seriously gorgeous, I mean it?!"

"That's right! Unnie! Have some confidence!"

"She's right! A total goddess of pure elegance!"

And so we went around one by one.

"Teri gives off total ice princess vibes."

"Hmm, my first impression was that you looked cold."

"Honestly, you just look like you're thinking about nothing at all."

Now that I'd adjusted to her face, that level of expression counted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as warm in my book.

"Hanbyeol, you've got puppy energy."

"Right! You're like a golden retriever!"

"Personality included, you're basically a golden retriever in human form."

"Somi, you're more of a cat person."

"You do look a bit aloof, don't you?"

"Your face really suits your personality."

...Is "your face suits your personality" a compliment or an insult?

"Oh, and Shiru?"

"Hmm... adorable, obviously?"

"Right?! Our Shiru is just too cute!"

"I genuinely wondered if her legs would snap if she took a step."

Even accounting for how Yuna is short and looks frail, her legs were so thin I honestly wondered whether ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they could support her at all.

"Huh?"

"Rose?"

"What?!"

"...That's a compliment, right?"

"Of course it is."

Ah, so it's my turn now?

"Um... you look like your avatar."

"Right?! I thought the same thing!"

Mm-hmm. I'd thought the same thing too.

"...I thought you were a school bully, though."

Huh?

"Shiru?"

"Eek! I'm sorry!"

"No, no need to apologize. You're just saying what you felt."

My face was intimidating, sure, but a school bully look? That was a stretch.

I'd have to show her a photo of Nayeon sometime.

Teach her what a certified delinquent face actually looks like.

Granted, Nayeon wasn't one either, but still.

"It's honestly a waste, such a face going with that image."

"Excuse me?"

For the record, that remark came from Yerin.

"BWAAAHAHA!"

"Heh heh heh!"

We had roughly coordinated this part in advance, after all.

Half our group was already known to anyone who cared to know, so wasn't it only natural for the spotlight to fall on the remaining three?

So we'd agreed on a policy: everyone would just say "gorgeous" unconditionally and describe general vibes. And yet...

As I stared blankly at Yerin, she narrowed her eyes and spoke up.

"Ah... sorry about that."

"Ah."

This goddamn face of mine, seriously.

"Rose! Why are you scaring Teri!"

"What did I—"

"Your face is just too scary, that's why!"

"Oh, come ON!"

I mean, fair enough, but...

Getting ganged up on like this still stings a little...

And so today's collab came to a roaring success of an end.